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    Essays on managerial foreign experience and corporate behaviours in China : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Finance at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2022) Sun, Zixiong
    Managerial foreign experience is a type of resource which allows managers to think globally and act locally. This thesis contributes to the literature on how foreign experienced managers impact corporate behaviour in China, the world’s largest emerging market. The first essay examines how managers with foreign experience influence corporate risk-taking. I find that foreign experienced managers are positively associated with corporate risk-taking. This relationship only robustly exists among private firms rather than state-owned enterprises (SOEs). The excess risk-taking through foreign experienced managers is positively related to Tobin’s Q, indicating that foreign experienced managers increase firm value through value-enhancing projects, which benefits shareholders. The second essay concentrates on the relationship between managerial foreign experience and earnings quality. I find that foreign experienced managers improve corporate earnings quality, and this improvement is more pronounced in private firms. Moreover, I document that the improved earnings quality is an important mechanism for which foreign experienced managers increase stock returns and decrease agency costs. The third essay in the thesis investigates the relationship between foreign experienced managers and corporate labour investment. I find foreign experienced managers are more likely to recruit and retain high skilled employees, which in turn increases labour cost for firms in total. The positive relationship between managerial foreign experience and labour cost is significant in both SOEs and private firms. Foreign experienced managers may focus on employees’ well-being to complete political goals in SOEs while they are more likely to retain and attract high skilled employees to benefit shareholders’ value in private firms. I further document that the increased labour costs through managerial foreign experience can influence firm value positively. However, it also increases the labour stickiness cost. Overall, this thesis documents the benefits and costs of hiring foreign experienced managers in firms.
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    Different on the inside... Third Culture Kids' transition experiences : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Social Work at Massey University, Manawatū, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2018) Tranter, Francesca J.
    Third Culture Kids (TCKs) are children who have spent a significant part of their upbringing in a country or countries different from their passport country. This thesis explored the experiences of TCKs growing up abroad, and how this may have impacted their transition to their passport country, following high school. In particular, this thesis considered: the benefits of the TCK lifestyle; TCKs’ unique strengths; their cultural identity development; meaning of home and belonging; acculturation and the TCKs’ challenges during transition. It is envisioned that through increasing knowledge and understanding of TCKs, social workers, counselors, tertiary institutions and parents will be better able to address the specific needs of the TCKs during transition to their passport country. By means of a narrative approach to the research, the participants provided insights into their TCK lifestyle and the specific challenges they experienced during their transition back to their passport country. Consideration was given to the theoretical social work perspectives that can benefit social work practice when supporting TCKs. Subsequently, the implications for social work practice provision were established. The research findings identified the many benefits but also challenges to the TCK lifestyle. Much of the challenges TCKs experienced during transition to their passport country resulted from their sociocultural adjustment, highlighting the need for both social and cultural support during their transition. In addition to support, the findings revealed that the TCK lifestyle, cultural identity, family relationships, friendships have a significant perceived influence on the TCK’s successful transition to their passport country.
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    The provision of English as a second language as part of the NZAID package : discussed in the context of English as a world language : a thesis presented in fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Philosophy in Development Studies at Massey University
    (Massey University, 2004) Garrett, Jill Ruth Maria
    It has been the aim of the nation state ideology, and nation building, to emulate a singular language and a singular culture as a means to achieving national identity and uniformity. While the homogenisation of language practices across the globe may have been regrettable, it was somehow seen as inevitable and natural. This idea stemmed from the belief that difference was abnormal and so monolingualism natural. (O'Driscoll, 2001, p. 488) The nation state ideology did not stop there and has spilled over into the global sphere. Individual nations are now encouraged to belong to the global world. Monolingualism is an argument that needs to be discussed within this context. Is it right to continue to believe that one unifying language will assist in the unification of nations or should we now be discussing alternatives to this ideology that for some has meant destruction to diversity? It is clear that despite increasing demographic diversity, the imperatives of cultural and linguistic homogeneity continue to dominate the development and maintenance of public policy. This is the historical aim of nation states...the adoption of a common language for all citizens... but it is invariably that of the dominant ethnic group and at the expense of all other languages (May, 2002, p. 24) The provision of English language teacher training and teaching is part of the aid package that is offered by NZAID to our aid recipient nations. In so doing, the question needs to be asked whether this contribution is facilitating a loss or a gain for New Zealand's aid recipients. In providing the instruction of English and training teachers in recipient nations to teach English are we encouraging the dominance of one language, English, over all others?
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    Experiencing international assignment : an exploratory study of Chinese international assignees : a thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Human Resource Management at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2013) Yao, Christian Dee
    International Assignment is at the centre of this study. Drawing on data from interviews with 31 Chinese assignees working for multinational companies in different cultural contexts, it explores their perceptions of international experience. Most literature concerning international assignments focuses on assignees from Western countries. By comparison, assignees from emerging economies such as China remain an under-researched group despite a rapid growth of multinational companies from these newly emerging economies. Moreover, much of the research often takes a unilateral perspective (such as either motivation, experience or career) lacking theoretical integration and failing to investigate the complexity of international assignments. Hence, to address this gap, this study adopts an integrated, multi-dimensional theoretical framework incorporating motivation, experience and career capital. It uses a qualitative research methodology based on in-depth interviews and is located within an interpretive paradigm in which individual meaning, action, social relationships and interactions are paramount. The study begins by focusing on motivation for accepting an international assignment. Motivation is identified as a multi-faceted, complex and interdependent decisionmaking process. Building career capital, which leads to personal growth, is the ultimate individual expectation from a foreign posting. International experience is then explored, focusing on issues associated with adjustment, satisfaction and social integration. While some initial expectations are fulfilled, other factors become more relevant over time and affect individual perceptions of the value of international assignments. This emphasises the dynamic and multi-dimensional nature of the overseas experience. Specific attention is also given to the career capital development of international assignees. The findings offer new insights to the international assignment literature showing that while Chinese assignees appreciate the experience of international assignments, in contrast to much of the Western literature, they consider it has little impact on their future careers. This is explained largely in terms of cultural factors (generally the relevance to Chinese career development), as well as the particular nature of Chinese multinational companies. In the last part, the concept of career capital is examined integrating findings on motivation and experience. Taking an overall perspective, the context of assignees’ career capital development is analysed focusing on the relevance of factors within individual, organisational and social domains. Two new themes, knowing-when and knowingwhere, are also added to the existing understanding of three ways of knowing. The contribution of this study is thus both theoretical and empirical. It extends the knowledge of motivation, experience and career capital, utilising an under-researched, yet increasingly important, sample of Chinese assignees working for multinational companies in Western countries. The proposed contextual model provides implications for future research such as comparative studies of international assignees from different cultures or assignees on different types of postings (e.g., long-term, short-term and frequent flyer). Future investigations could also focus on the specifications of contextual factors for international assignments and career development of international assignees.